IMA - the Tiva reunion in Cairo
by Lecmat
Summary: the untold story of the Tivali reunion in Cairo


The street of khan el khalili was crowded with people. Merchants, tourists, Cairene all mixed together like bees in a hive. A woman emerged from the crowd. She was wearing a headscarf. She was carefully following their path. Tali was holding her father's hand, Tony crouched by her side and showed her something on a merchant's stall. She smiled at Tony. For a minute Ziva felt overwhelmed with joy to see that Tali was fine and happy. But this did not last long. Panic stroked back. She felt so dizzy that she had to lean on a pole. When she recovered they were gone. She forced her way through the crowd. She turned on the corner of a street and that's when she saw them again but this time they were facing her. Tony had not noticed her, he was trying to find the right way to go. Tali saw her, she yield:

-"IMA!"

Tony kept looking for a street sign and said:

-"yes Tali, aba is looking for Ima" he whispered to himself: "but aba does not speak Arabic which makes it even harder"

Tali shook her father's hand to get his attention and repeated:

-"IMA!"

Tony sighed and turned to his daughter. He crouched again by her side:

-"no Tali..."

Tali pointed her little finger in her mother's direction. Tony looked in that direction, ready to tell her that this was not her Ima. His heart stopped for a second when he saw her. She was standing in the middle of the crowded street. He could not believe it. The street was full of people but yet he felt like it was just the three of them, like the whole world had suddenly faded away. Was she about to run away from him ? He was scared to make a move. Tali did it for him. She let go of Tony's hand and rushed to her mom. Tony was surprised. He tried to catch her but it was too late. She ran into her mother's arms. Ziva caught her and hugged her. Tony stood up and walked to them. Tali's head was resting on her mother's shoulder. Ziva was whispering "I missed you" in Hebrew in Tali's ears. Tali touched Ziva's face as if she was discovering it for the first time. Ziva's look was attracted to Tony. She looked at him and said:

-"we can't stay here, it's too dangerous, come!"

He nodded and followed her through the streets of Cairo.

-Inside of Ziva's hideout-

Tali was now asleep on her mother's arms. Tony opened the door and Ziva rushed inside. She walked into the small living room and lay the little girl down on the couch. She caressed her face and placed a kiss on her forehead. Tony placed Kelev, Tali's stuffed dog, in his daughter's arms. She squeezed it in her sleep. Ziva could not take her eyes off from her. She wanted to print this image in her brain forever. But she was also scared to cross Tony's look. Tony placed his hand on Ziva's shoulder to get her attention and he walked to the small kitchen. Ziva followed him. Tony leaned on the kitchen worktop. Ziva did the same but a few feet away from him. She was still incapable of looking him in the eye.

-"you should not have come" was the first thing Ziva was able to articulate.

After all this time, it was not something that Tony wanted to hear, he sighed:

-"there is a lot of things I should not have done... but coming here to find you... you gonna have hard time making me regret that"

-"Tony there is a reason why I didn't wanted you to find me"

-"you think that I don't know that ? Every night when I get Tali to bed I have to explain her that Ima is not here because she has to protect her"

-"Tony I..." she did not has to strength to fight with him now and most of all she did not wanted to. "I am sorry that I had to put you through all of this. You don't deserve this. I wish I could have offered you something... easier"

Tony giggled:

-" "easy" is not something that defines us Ziva"

She lightly smiled in agreement.

She looked at Tali. He stepped forward. He was now facing her. He cupped her face in his hands. She closed her eyes to enjoy that moment but she didn't felt that she deserves that affection from him. He pressed his forehead against hers just like he did in Israel the day before he left her:

-"I know that you are fighting for us Ziva... and I know that we can't stay... but for now... I am here with you.. and it's the only thing I want to care about"

She cupped his head too. He had a begging look on his face. She kissed him. It was a soft kiss, almost shy. He responded to it with much more vigor. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss lasted for a few minutes until they heard whining coming from the living room. They both looked in Tali's direction. They walked to her. Ziva sat next to her and Tali instantly sat on her lap and hugged her. She obviously had a bad dream. Ziva started to cradle the little girl to soothe her. Tony stroke her hair and wiped a tear away from his baby's face.

The sun was starting to set. Ziva was in the kitchen preparing some food. She smiled when she heard giggles coming from the living room. She stepped away from the cooker to watch them play. Tali was on Tony's back. She was having a lot of fun. Tony put his daughter down to the floor and kissed her head. She complained but he explained her that he had to help Ima. He walked to the kitchen. Ziva smiled to him as he entered:

-"having fun ?"

-"you have no idea..." he regretted his words instantly. He was scared that those word could have hurt her. It was not intended. He grabbed some plates on a closet. It was the first time that they had that kind of family moment and he knew it would probably be the only one before a long time.

\- After diner -  
Tali was lying on the couch, her head resting on Ziva's lap. Ziva was cuddled up to Tony. Ziva said:

-"Tony..."

-"yes ?"

-"you said that there was a lot of things you should not have done... what did you mean ?"

He took a deep breath:

-"I know I should not have gotten into that plane..." he knew what Ziva's fear was, what she needed to hear. He cupped her head and locked his eyes into hers "don't imagine for a second that I regret the night we made Tali" she smiled. God! he had missed this smile. This time, he was the one trying to print this image in his brain forever.

Tali moved on the couch. Tony looked at her and whispered to Ziva:

-"we should let her get some sleep.."

He knew that tomorrow would be a difficult day. The day Ziva would be taken away from them again. Ziva took Tali's head off her lap. Tony grabbed Ziva's hand and pulled her from the couch. Ziva placed a kiss on her daughter's head and tucked the cover under her body, she whispered "I love you Tali". Tony kissed her daughter's forehead too and followed Ziva into the bedroom. He closed the door and looked at Ziva. She was getting ready to go to bed. She took her shirt off. He was looking at her back. It was as perfect as he remembered except that now she had more scars on it than she used to. A rush of adrenaline paralyzed him for a second. She noticed it. She was looking at him through the mirror on the wall. He walked to her and ran a finger along her scars. She stopped moving and closed her eyes. She was terrified that he would ask her questions. He placed his hands on her hips and spun her around so he could face her. She was looking down to the bedroom floor. As if she was ashamed. He raised her face and locked his eyes into hers. He could not resist any longer. He kissed her. It was not a soft or shy kiss. It was a kiss that was expressing all the frustration and pain he has endured for the past weeks. He lifted her up. She locked her legs around his hips. He moved to the bed and lay her down on the mattress. He stopped his kiss to look at her face. He wanted to know that she was fine, that she wanted this. Her eyes were begging him to kiss her again and that's what he did. He did not wanted this night to end. He wanted to make the best out of it. They spent the entire night making love.

The sun was up. Tony has been awake for more than an hour. He was looking at Ziva. Her body, her hair, her skin. All those things that he thought he would never see again. Those scars... what has she been through ? He did not know and maybe it was better that way. Ziva moved her arm and opened her eyes. Her head was resting on Tony's chest. She looked at him. That sad look was back on her face. The only thing she could think of was the fact that she was about to lose them again. She will be alone again, fighting the world on her own again. He was caressing her face. He smiled to her and whispered:  
-"we will be fine... I promise"  
He kissed her but he had no time to make it last. A little voice raised from the living room:  
-"aba ?"  
Tony smiled, his lips still on ziva's lips.  
-"someone's hungry..."  
Ziva smiled:  
-"no doubt she is your daughter..."  
Tony stood up, put on his pants and walked to the living room.  
Ziva joined them a few minutes later.  
Tony was looking at the fridge. It was empty.  
-"what about we go out grab some breakfast ?"  
Tali raised her hands in the air to show her approval. Ziva sighed:  
-"Tony... this is not a good idea..."  
He took Tali into his arms to get her to the bathroom.  
-"I think this is actually the best idea AND two to one... you lose"  
-"this is not a game Tony..."  
He kissed her and said:  
-"trust me..."

In less than 30 minutes, they were all ready to leave. Tony was helping Tali to get her shoes on. Ziva was standing next to the window. She was looking down the street worried about the idea of getting out in the crowd with her family.  
Tony was looking at her. He felt bad that he was the reason she was now feeling so nervous but he needed this. So does Tali. So does Ziva even though she could not see it yet. He walked to her:  
-"come on, let's go..."

They were sitting inside a cafe. Ziva had her headscarf on. She was looking at every person who was entering the cafe. Tony placed his hand on Ziva's. She looked at him with a nervous look. She was fighting the panic attack inside her mind. He looked deeply into her eyes. He was trying to calm her through his eye. It was working. She felt her anxiety slowly going away.

On their way back they crossed a playground. Tali begged her dad to let her go. He agreed. Tony and Ziva were sitting on a bench. They could not take their eyes off their daughter. At this moment she was the happiest kid in the world.  
Tony asked:  
-"what are you going to do next ?"  
She looked at him. Her eyes were begging him not to go down this road:  
-"I know... it's too dangerous... I should not have asked... how do I contact you ?"  
-"you don't ... until this is over... the less you know the safer you are... we have already crossed to many boundaries..."

Ziva heard a cry. She jump on her feet and looked for her daughter. The little girl was walking to them. She was holding her bleeding knee. Tony grabbed the little girl into his arm. They were both trying to calm her. They walked into a drugstore to get some band-aids. Ziva knew there was no way her daughter would have agreed to get a band-aid. She was as stubborn as her mother. She knew that Tony was not ready for what was to come with the band-aid. And she was right as soon as Tony took the band-aid out from the box Tali started to struggle. She was putting his hands away every time he was trying to put the band-aid on. Tony decided to find another way. He asked for some scissors to the drugstore's owner and shaped the band-aid into a tiny heart shaped one. He showed it to the little girl who instantly stopped to fight. When they got out from the drugstore she was looking so proud with her little heart on her knee. Ziva was overwhelmed with love for both of them. She knew they would be fine together. She looked at Tony from a distance. He was looking for her but he knew it would be in vain. She was gone. Again.

The end


End file.
